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Today was a great day for collaboration as the AFSTA Secretariat received a distinguished Hungarian delegation. Ms. Tamara Soos from the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and Mr. Janos Hirka from ZKI Vegetable Research Institute are in Kenya to advance a bilateral project on vegetable crop trials.

We explored multiple avenues for partnership and growth, from the practical steps of getting a new vegetable variety registered in Africa to the broader vision of a continent with harmonized seed regulations. A major highlight of the discussion was the African Vegetable Breeding Consortium (AVBC), a successful public–private partnership between AFSTA and WorldVeg that is already making an impact among seed companies that operate in Africa.

By sharing insights on market landscapes and the benefits of AFSTA membership, we are forging stronger connections that drive agricultural progress and deliver better seeds to farmers across Africa. This engagement marks another positive step in our mission to champion the private seed sector and build a more food-secure future.

Designing impactful campaigns is key to building trust and driving demand! The latest #SMIA framework highlights the power of a brand-agnostic, multi-channel approach to create effective public awareness and company demand.

Key takeaways:

Public Campaigns: Focus on building awareness and engaging farmers to increase qualified leads.

Digital Campaigns: Use product-specific messaging to convert leads and measure success.

Iterate and Align: Use insights from early campaigns to refine messaging, budgets, and targeting.

The bottom line: Social marketing builds trust, and digital marketing converts! By combining both, we can accelerate varietal turnover and ensure farmers are not only aware of improved seed but also motivated to adopt it.

#AFSTA #SeedMarketing #Agriculture #PublicAwareness Resourced AFSTA Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) #DemandCreation #ImpactfulCampaigns #SMIA #DigitalCampaigns Yacouba Diallo David Kinyanjui Wainaina

The #African #Vegetable #Breeding #Consortium (AVBC), led by the World Vegetable Centre and AFSTA Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), is giving seed companies access to high-yielding, climate-smart, pest- and disease-resistant vegetable varieties.

From tomatoes to okra, these improved seeds are boosting farmers’ harvests, fighting malnutrition, and strengthening food security across the continent.

#FoodSecurity #BetterSeedBetterLife #AFSTA #WorldVeg WorldVeg – WCA #ACLBC #AVBVC #VegetableSeed #Seed Yacouba Diallo Champions of Change Award Charles Nyachae Indian Chamber of Food and Agriculture

Join @AFSTA at the #AFSF2025 in Dakar, Senegal, as Dr. Yacouba Diallo shares insights on “Increasing access to seeds for sustainable and resilient food systems in West and Central Africa” and participates in the session on “Youth as Innovators and Entrepreneurs in Africa Seed Systems.”

#BetterSeedBetterLife #AGRA #Seed #Innovation #VegetableBreeding #AFSTA #SustainableFarming